PerreaultForever

Kuntar signed a 2 way deal so he gets $9451 for that one game. and about a $1000 for every Rochester game. It would be kind of sucky if they stuck him with a big bill for flying out for that one game and I doubt it happens but either way I think he will survive.

Or he can pass on McKenna thinking he's the fifth best and then McKenna turns out to be the best after all just took an extra year or something. You never know with these things. Look at how much more impactful Schaefer has been to Power. They were not the same but both were consensus first overall picks in their drafts. You rarely know for sure.

Seattle this year plays a faster version of what the Islanders have played over the last decade. Choke everything off and clog the middle. Force the play outside and try to win 1-0. They are good at it but not good at scoring. I expect the Sabres to have a hard time with this but you never know. They definitely have more scoring skill if they can fight through it. But will they? More often than not they don't.

I wouldn't trade Dahlin either - unless he has privately said he wants out and has had enough. Then you might not have a choice. I wondered when they tore it down with Eichel and Reinhart if Dahlin had too much losing stink on him and maybe should have been dealt as well for that reason but if he truly wants to stay then no, I don't trade him. I will say this, Dahlin has a nasty side to him and if this was a bigger, stronger, meaner team where he felt safe and protected at all times I think he'd be a beast. As is he plays a little more restrained at times. That's just my opinion of course. Power got too much money that's the problem there. Paid for future performance but so far that future performance hasn't emerged. Might be tough to find a team that'll believe they can bring it out of him. Philly apparently called about Byram in the summer. They also wanted Hughes. I'm looking hard at them for Byram if it's me in charge. No idea who or what might be available from them though.

That was my feeling before Jarmo got here. Pegula would stay internal and give it to Forten (and then likely Appert as coach) and I'd hate all of that but Jarmo may have been brought in specifically as an option. Pegula needed him around to get to know him before handing it over. I wouldn't be surprised if Adams stays with a different title. He does more of the business stuff and Jarmo handles the GM hockey stuff. The "free reign" thing is the issue though. If he doesn't get it and it's still some group decision thing with Pegula in on every call then not much will change if anything. It's always possible but highly unlikely. The real question (aside from his power and autonomy as we mentioned above) is how can he reconstruct this roster to actually work. Will Tage and Rasmus want to stay if there's any sort of rebuild? Will they actually have a good goalie? What can he do saddled with Norris if he rarely plays? Power and his contract if he doesn't improve? Tuch and RFAs that may ask for the moon to force a way out. Will the philosophy change? The identity? Will they actually have an identity? It's not an easy fix for anyone, and if Pegula meddles, even a little (eg. imagine being a GM, thinking Quinn is a slacker and needs to go, but Pegula says to you "I like Quinn, don't trade him" how do you operate under that?) I hope they make the change. I hope Jarmo can get it done, but a big part of me thinks they do need to blow it all up and start over or as I said earlier a full radical subtraction phase and a Torts type coach to change the culture and raise the bar. Maybe Jarmo can bring that in too. idk

Are you really going to be revisionist and pretend they had a choice? Eichel was pissed off about the neck surgery and wanted out and Reinhart was going to walk at the end of his deal. They had no choice. The failure of the organization is failing to build a proper roster around two extremely high draft picks (among others) over the years before.

This is the moment where a good GM gets on the phone and calls all those teams who were supposedly in on Hughes and says "sorry you didn't get your guy but can I interest you in an Owen Power or Bo Byram as a plan B?" That other team who really felt they needed a mobile puck moving D man might overpay with some of those pieces they'd already offered for Hughes and thus mentally had already seen their team without them. But that's what an actual GM would do.

I disagree. I think what has gone for years is firmly embedded and the only way to change it, the only way to make it a destination again, is to publicly announce and then act on a radical change. If they did this the first thing you would see in the media and the 32 thoughts and all that is "radical change in Buffalo" "is this the beginning of a new era?" etc. Would it work? idk, maybe not, but right now Philly, who were behind us in rebuild terms are a playoff bubble team with a prospect cupboard pretty good looking especially Martone. Things might change, but they do seem to have not only survived the Torts surgery but are also better for it. I can't even begin to compare the Bruins plan to what the Sabres do as it's mindboggling that it is already working but the Yzerplan is also ahead and everybody was laughing at that too. The only other failed rebuild right now is Nashville. Calgary and Vancouver are in tear down mode. So I guess those will be the next three we compare to and see pass us unless they do something new here.

An act of "insanity" is what this franchise needs. Earthquake shattering everything. A complete overhaul of every aspect of the team and culture. Get the paddles out and shock this thing back to life. If not, just sit back, watch the hope fade every year. Watch the life go out of their eyes. Keep losing vets who lose their love for hockey. Talk about the next high first round pick every year. rinse and repeat.

I agree it's unlikely but I see one scenario where it's possible. Terry has had enough and basically given up. He brought in Jarmo to observe him, see if he can trust him, but will finally just give up and hand him the keys. Then Jarmo will decide it needs a tear down ("subtraction phase" as Torts put it in Philly) and a culture rebuild from the ground up. The timing would be perfect with Torts available and having previously worked together.

Oh sure, Östlund showed he can play and is a probable NHLer. He's better than Quinn imo. I just don't see the point of flying Kuntar in across country for 5 minutes of one game against a bottom feeder team. If it was in Buffalo and he just drove in from Rochester sure, why not. But this was silly.

So you agree, hire Torts 🙂

Oh come on, they gave him a rookie lap and then 5 full minutes of ice time. I hope the guy at least got a good meal in Van. They do have some decent restaurants. It's a nice city to visit.

So Adams apparently is signed for another year and nobody knew. So Sabres. Now I give the opinion that nobody will like. Bring on the thumbs down and vomit emojis. Fire Adams outright - gone. No explanation necessary. Fire Ruff. Historical figure but let's face it, he's done a s##t job in his return. We've fired ex-Sabres before and some of them were good coaches (eg. Craig Ramsey) Fire all the assistants. They're all garbage and Ruff let them do too much and thus we are same. Name Jarmo GM. Now for the vomit part. Jarmo hires Tortorella as coach. Torts gives us hours of endless soundbites and entertainment while identifying all the slackers and we clear the rot out. Slash and burn and rebuild the culture. 2 years from now we fire Torts and the new guy moves things forward and into the playoffs with an identity and actual hockey culture in full force. Think of it like this. Team has cancer. Bandages aren't enough. Minor surgery won't solve it. they need full chemo. Then we see if they have the will to survive.

Well today on twitter I'm reading that Adams is actually signed for another year which is like a wtf? But there it is. He may never leave.